


9pm

by kazahaya0



Category: Inazuma Eleven GO
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:21:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24980749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazahaya0/pseuds/kazahaya0
Summary: Shindou tends to Ibuki’s injury on their way back to Earth at the end of the series.
Relationships: Ibuki Munemasa/Shindou Takuto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	9pm

**Author's Note:**

> A short drabble I had in drafts. Ibuki gets injured in episode 38 and the way Shindou reacted to it and how Ibuki tried to hid it from him was such a cherry on top of the evolution of their relationship throughout the series. I wanted to write a short something about him also helping Ibuki take care of it later in the space train. Thank you for reading.

“Ouch!”

“I told you not to move!”

“Sorry.”

Shindou gets some more of the blue jelly substance on his hands and rubs it all over Ibuki’s right ankle and lower leg, he pressures and massages it along as Ibuki winces. It's cold and minty and Shindou's fingers are able to know how to poke him just right where it hurts. The color it leaves behind is a light glittery blue, shining like it has neon coloring inside. To Ibuki he just feels like he has stepped on a basket of blue Sandorius' berries and gotten the slimy goo all over him.

Aoi had gotten them a few extra supplies at Faram Obius before leaving. There is strange food, odd utilities and the fun souvenirs to take back home, but also a few emergency kits and space medicines. This one was meant to be used on muscular injuries of multiple alien species and was vouched to work fast. 'I used this when I was with my team, it's pretty soothing.' Tsurugi had said to them.

So naturally Shindou had looked right at Ibuki. 

And naturally, Ibuki had been reticent at first, joking 'We don't know what this does! What if I grow a three legs on my leg Shindou?' and making everyone laugh. But in the end, he trusted it would work. It had worked on Tsurugi, although to Ibuki's comprehension Tsurugi was very well half alien.

And so he obediently followed Shindou to the common room after dinner was over.

“There, does it feel any better?”

Shindou finishes and sits next to him.

“I don’t know yet. Feels cold though.”

“It’s meant to work very quickly. I admit I am curious to see its effects.”

Ibuki bites his tongue so he doesn't make another alien mutation joke. He looks to the side and relaxes his shoulders. Shindou is now putting away the blue flask, cleaning his hands off the glittery jelly on a towel. The minty and herb-like smell still lingers even after the lid is shut.

“Thanks, huh you didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to help you, it's easier when it's someone else applying this stuff." He pauses, then sternly he adds, "Just don’t do that ever again. Hiding an injury is dangerous.”

“Yeah yeah…”

He sighs, lifts his leg up to look at the slimy substance. Shindou is now looking at the bottle, trying to figure out patterns in its foreign alphabet and then finally putting it away in the small bag Aoi gave them.

Ibuki leans against the wall staring at the stars outside.

'Weird' doesn't even work to begin to describe how he feels about everything right now, about what they've accomplished and about how he is feeling. But he assumes Shindou is trying to process it all too. Things feel different.

Shindou's hands brush Ibuki’s slightly. There is a pause and a heartbeat and finally, Ibuki takes this chance to take Shindou’s fingers into his, holding them fully.

It’s a small gesture but it took them long to get there. And Ibuki suddenly feels the weight of all the months in Japan and galaxy traveling up to this point lift off him.

Ibuki counts the seconds, expecting Shindou to pull away. But he never does. Instead he answers back by caressing Ibuki's hand with his thumb.

Both keep silent and just stare ahead, at the stars, at space itself through the dark windows.

A few moments go by and every minute the train rides through constellations and nebulas and galaxies, leaving them behind.

Shindou gets up after a while, takes the medicine bag with him across the shoulders and holds out his hand to help Ibuki up.

"It's late, you need to get some rest. You know that helps too."

The blue alien jelly on Ibuki's right leg has left the tiniest trace of lilac and the swollenness is gone.

“Wow! Tsurugi was right."

"Impressing... although I think it's best if we use it tomorrow too..."

"Sure. I think I feel better already, do you wanna hit the black room?”

“Ibuki…” Shindou says, slightly disappointed.

“Fine! Tomorrow then. Just have a match with me, one last time.”

Shindou pauses and bits his lower lip. Ibuki speaks up again.

“What about back home? Will you play by my side again?”

Shindou’s eyes meet his.

“I thought you wanted to quit to focus on your dream.”

Ibuki sighs.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still like basketball, but I want to try and give soccer one more chance too. T’was pretty fun.”

“I'm glad.”

“And I like playing with you.”

He doesn’t know where he got the courage to say it exactly like that, but Ibuki is blunt and doesn’t like to chew on things for too long. 

They're under the blue, dimmed light and Ibuki can't tell a lot of colors apart but he can tell Shindou blushes slightly.

“Yes, let’s meet again. I would… really like that.”


End file.
